Volume 12 Number 08

CAKE AND
COCKHORSE
BANBURY HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
Spring 1994
Volume 12
Price €2.00
Number 8
ISSN 6522-OX23
c
Ban6ury Historic a Society
President:
The Lord Saye and Sele.
Chairman:
Brim Llttlc. 12 Longfellow Road.Banbuq OX16 9LB
(tel. 0295 264972).
Editor of Cake and Cockhorse
D A Hitchcos. I Dorchcstcr Gro\ c. Banbun OX 16 OBD
(tel 0295 253733)
Hon. Treasurer:
G J.S. Ellacott. F.C A ,
3 Dccrs Farm.
Hon. Secretary:
Simon Tomscnd.
Banbury Muscum.
x Horscfalr.
Banbun. OX16 OAA
(tcl 0295 259x55)
Wicotc.
Banbuy OX15 4DS.
(tcl 0295 258493).
Hon. Research Adviser:
Programme Secretary:
Dr J S Rivers.
J.S W. Gibson,
Harts Cottagc.
Church Hanborough.
Witnq. Oxon OX8 NAB.
Homcland. Middlc Lanc.
Balscotc.
Banbun. Ovon
(tcl 0295 730672)
(tcl. 0993 8829x2).
Committee Members:
Mrs J.P. Bo\scs. Mrs N. Clillon. MISSB P Hudson.
Miss P Rcnold. Mrs H Thompson. Mr H Whltc
Membership Secretary:
Mrs Margarct Llttlc.
d o Banbun Muscum.
8 Horsefair.
Banbury. Oxon OX I 6 OAA
Details of the Society's activities and
publications will be found inside the back cover.
C a k e and Cockhorse
The magazine of the Banbury Historical Society, issued three times a year.
Volume 12
Number Eight
EricG Kayc
David J Ncal
Chnstinc Blosham
D-Day Prelude
Thcy Flcw from Wykham Hill
Tosty Tcll Me True
Ixo
I88
200
Brim Little
Lccturc Rcports
203
Joycc Hoad
Corrcspondencc
206
Thc Brinkworth P n a Fund
Annual Report and Accounts, I993
20x
___
Spring 1994
-
Banbun Historical Socict?
210
Ten years ago the late David Fiennes asked if I would like to assist him with
editing ( h k e CC! ('ockhorse I willingly accepted, little did I know that I would
soon be in the Editor's chair Now, after more than thirty issues of our magazine.
I feel it is once again time for a change. It is proposed to spread the load by
sharing editorial responsibility in a small committee, comprising, at the moment,
Joan Bowes, Nan Clifton and Jeremy Gibson, with a little help from myself
This issue has as its main article 'They flew from Wykham Hill' With the
fiftieth anniversary of D-Day imminent. it is of particular interest to this area, and
shows the importance of recording recent history Few Banbury people can ever
have suspected the existence of this 'airfield'
I would like to thank Joyce Hoad for her letter regarding the Society and I am
sure that many of her comments will be of interest. The one point that concerns
the editor is in regard to last year's "missing issue" It was decided that because
of the late arrival (and considerable lengh) of the main article for the Summer
number that it would be better to combine Summer and Autumn in one bumper
issue In fact members received as many pages of Cuke K. Cockhorse as usual
(bearing in mind the greater amount of matter per page allowed by typeset rather
than typewritten text) Following on from this it may be that other members have
comments or questions about the Society or our local history If they like to put
pen to paper and write to the Editor(s), we may be able to publish letters
rebwlarly.
D.A.H.
I85
'
D-D AY PREL 17D E
Eric G . Kaye
Fifty years on and 1094 Preparations are being made to celebrate thc 50th
Anniversary of 11-Day
Let us then take a look back and recall what military preparation took place in
and around Banbury and district and beyond, during those preceding months that
became the prelude to the launching of the largest invasion ever, against an
enemy
lnvolvment in the area came tirst with the Operational 'Training Units of the
Royal Air Force with a primary role training bomber aircrew. drawn from the
IJnited Kingdom, Commonwealth and Dominions, but who from their locations
at Chipping Warden, Edgehill (Shenington), Moreton-in-Marsh, Enstone,
Wellesbourne Mountford. Gaydon and others, also despatched crews, generally
those nearing completion of their operational training. on Nickel raids - leaflet
dropping exercises over enemy territory - and Window dropping - strips of metal
foil dropped to disrupt enemy radar - to harass the enemy while the build-up for
the invasion continued.
Then came the 696th Armoured Field Artillery Battalion of the United States
Army, who in April 1944 moved into Wykham Park, midway between Banbury
and Bloxham From there they continued training for the part they would play in
the pending invasion Although an artillery unit. they also had an aviation
connection. operating Piper Cub L4 spotter aircraft which served as the "eyes"
for the gunners, the subject of David Neal's article
During their stay. these small aircraft. often referred to as "Grasshoppers".
were flown from a home made airstrip sited at the top of Wykham Hill, soon
becoming a regular sight for those living nearby, until their eventual departure for
Normandy, which was to be after the initial assault and the way had been paved
for the supporting forces to follow
I xo
However, it was the Oxfordshire airfields of No's 38 and 36 Groups, further to
the south and west of the county, that formed the hub for the part to be played by
the airborne forces spearheading the invasion.
As D-Day edged nearer, the build-up of forces increased with a quickening
tempo. Bnze Norton with 296 and 297 Squadrons and Harwell with 295 and 570
Squadrons were operating Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles towing Horsa
gliders Broadwell, just to the south of Burford, hosted a thousand airborne
troops, many of whom would leave for Normandy by the resident Dakota's of
No's 512 and 575 Squadrons and their Horsa gliders At Hampstead Norris,
glider pilot refresher courses were being provided. while Kingston Bagpuize and
Kelmscott were used for practice dropping of Paratroops
The role for photo reconnaissance to record the progress From D-Day onwards
fell to squadrons of the USAF, operating P38 Lockheed Lightnings and Spitfires
from Chalgrove and Mount Farm
It is significant therefore that when zero hour arrived and the signal to go was
given, history was made, when from those Oxfordshire airfields in company with
several from Gloucestershire, the first ever major airborne assault was launched
With the arrival of 6th June 1944, the prelude was complete and the overture
D-Day began
Opposite: Vickers Wellrypon Mk. lc. 21 0 7 I l .
Above: A ir.vpeed Horsa. 7 r i ~ y .(brryir)g
1
Glider.
IS author of 7he S t o r y ./ RAF' I<d~chrll(locally known as Shenington
Acrdrome), fully illustrated. f l 2 95 It tells the stop of the hectic life of a Bombcr OTlJ
(Operational Training Unit) dunng the years I04 I - I945 and onwards through a \arict? of
changes of use to thc present day. Copies arc availablc from the author at Corncr House.
Epwell, Banbuv. Oson OX15 6LA.
Enc Kayc
I X7
THEY FLEW FROM WYKHAM HILL
David J. Neal
When I was young my father told me many tales. One was that "When I was U
lud rhry used ro,fly 7uylor Aus1er.s.frorn rhr lop of Wykhurn Hill". Who "they"
were he never revealed. neither did he elucidate on from where exactly at the top
of Wykham Hill they flew
I never believed this story After all, whilst gliders may slope soar, you do not
normally fly from a hill. From my days of cycling to fnends in Bloxham I knew
Wykham Hill to be steep, and could not visualise any area which was both level
and large enough for aeroplanes Beside. I thought I knew where all the old
airfields were locally, and certainly there was not one at Wykham Hill
As I grew older. I realised that Taylor Austers did not need the acres of tarmac
that 1 associated with airfields 1 began to think what if there was some truth in
this tale affer all. could I prove to Dad that occasionally his son did listen
The Site
Wykham Hill is a valley side, crossed by the main A361 road, approximately
midway between the village of Bloxham and the town of Banbury At its base,
some 322 feet above sea level, the Sor brook runs almost due westleast The
main road climbs steeply north in the direction of Banbury, reaching a height vf
415 feet within half a mile at the crossroads with Wykham Lane. This lane runs
west to Broughton and east t o Bodicote The slope of the road decreases, only
climbing a hrther 20 feet over the next 500 yards, then remaining reasonably
level until it reaches the junction with Salt Lane before beginning its final journey
into Banbury
The Wykham Lane crossroads can be said to represent "the top of Wykham
Hill". The area in which flying took place is centred around this junction In the
southeast corner is the site of Wykham Park, now the Tudor Hall school and. in
the northwest, is the field which was used as an airstrip
Wykham Park
Wykham Park is an estate dating back to 1279 when it was owned by one
Robert de Wykeham The house was extensively rebuilt in the early nineteenth
century and in 1928 was bought by Sir Arthur Turberville Smith-Bingharn, who
added a mirror lined riding hall. However. at the outbreak of World War 11 the
Park was requisitioned by the British Army The manor house, riding hall and
servants' quarters were supplemented by a number of Nissen huts In April 1944
the site was occupied by the 696th Armoured Field Artillery Battalion of the
United States Army. the unit which was actively involved in the operation of
aircraft from the site The 696th departed Wykham for France in July 1944
I nx
In 1945, the Tudor Hall school, which originated in Kent but had occupied
premises near Chipping Camden followins the outbreak of war. moved to the
Park and has occupied the site ever since Although the riding hall has been
demolished and the site used for the building housing the school's music
department, the concrete foundations of the Nissen huts were still be found in the
area to the north west of the main building when new work was carried out
The field at the top of Wykham Hill
Nothing remains today to indicate that the field lying in the northwest corner of
the crossroads was once used as an airstrip In fact its present size, undulations
and proximity to building seem to preclude aerial activity of any sort. It was
smaller, yet things were difFerent in mid- I944
At that time the field was roughly rectangular, with its longest side running
parallcl to. though slightly raised from, thc main road I t was approximately 500
yards in length. 250 yards wide at the northern end and tapered to some I50
yards at the southern boundary abutting Wykham Lane A number of trees grew
in the eastern hedge alongside the main road and a gate in this hedge provided
access. From the south it sloped gently. rising some 35 feet toward its northern
boundary. with Crouch Hill "towering" to a height of 556 feet half a mile to the
north The central and western parts ofthe field were more level
Today the field is much larger. the western hedge having been removed in the
1060s 'To the west of the original boundary, Wykham Lane dips sharply into a
small gully which runs north into the new. enlarged. field and continues almost as
far as the northern edge Opposite the southern boundary, next to the crossroads
and on the opposite side of Wykham Lane stands a house presently occupied by
Ken Gibbard During the war Ken farmed nearby Crouch Farm to the north-west
This house seemingly presents an obstacle. being directly under the only obvious
flightpath and would certainly present a hazard to any aircraft taking off or
landing today However, the presence 01' the property is misleading, for it was
built in 1960 as two properties which were later converted into one
Prior to WW I1 the field was owned and farmed by the Bradshaws of Wykham
Mill The Gibbards' land was to the north and west, but Ken remembers seeing
aircraft using the site during I944 His family took over the land in the 1960s yet,
despite ploughing the field numerous times. Ken says he has never turned up any
aviation artifacts
Any aircraft using the field during the 1940s would have taken off and landed
in a northerly or southerly direction Given the type of aircraft used and their
limited engine power it is likely that. subject to the wind, landings would have
been made heading north and take offs south to take advantage of the slope
lmmcdiately after takc-of thc planes would have turned east or west to gain
height along the valley The dimensions of the field would have allowed a clear
run of some 400 yards, short by the standards of today's light aircraft but more
than adequate for normal operations ofthe planes used by the 696th A F A
IKO
5%
A
Crouch 11111
The 696th Armoured Field Artillery Battalion
On 8 t h April 1944. the 696th A F A departed from Kinyton for the 85 mile
journey to Banbury Kington is situated in Herefordshire, some ten miles north of
Hay-on- W ye
At that time the 696th was assigned to the 5th Field Artillery Group which had
its Headquarters at Banbury References show other battalions in the Group as
being the 83rd, I 17th and 695th A unit of the 87th A F A is known to have
been based at Adderbury although exactly where has not been confirmed
Although the 696th eventually went to France with the 5th F A , the association
did not last long after they arrived in mainland Europe Sources show the 696th
as being part of t h e 5th and the I93rd F A Groups at various times during its
history. certainly some battalions were somewhat nomadic!
An explanation of the set-up ofthe American land forces is in order here The
forces were made up of a number of Armies. controlling a number of Corps HQs
which in turn controlled a number of Divisions Divisional tIQs contained an
Artillery I-IQ which controllcd 3 to 4 A F A Battalions Thc Artillcry HQ
generally had two liaison aircraft (although the 5th I: A Group had three) with
each A F A also having two Each Artillery HQ therefore controlled eight to ten
aircraft. OJ eleven in the case ofthe 5th F A Group
In June 1944, the 5th F A was temporarily attached to VII Corps of the First
Army, although by August it was part of VIlI Corps of the Third Army
Soon settling in to Wykham Park, the 696th began to adapt it to their needs
They referred to the main building as the "castle" and used it for administration
otfices. officers' quarters, and the officers' mess and lounge Two outside
buildings were used as messes for the enlisted men who were quartered in the
Nissen huts The riding hall was utilised as a maintenance shop and the battalion
motor pool located next to this. On the opposite side of the main road the 696th
parked their two Piper Cub 1- 4 "Grasshopper" observation planes They were
generally parked toward the southeast corner parallel to the main road and were
fiequently tied down when not in use
The major task facing the 696th was to build up its equipmcnt and vehicles to
the standard required for an A F A This was specified in a document called the
"Table of Organisation and Equipment" The most important pieces of cquipment
were the eighteen M7 10Smm self-propelled howitzers These were kno%n as
"Priests" because their anti-aircraft machine gun was mounted on a pulpit-like
tower on the right side of the front superstructure Other units in the 5th F A
began building up with M7s powered by water cooled engines but there were
insufficient to equip every unit fully Rather than go into battle with a mixture of
vehicles the 696th simply used the M7s with air cooled engines "handed down"
by the other units
The lO5mm Howitzer had a range of I I . I60 yards and a rate of fire of four
rounds per minute Each M 7 carried a crew of seven, 69 rounds of IO5mm
ammunition and 300 rounds of I 2 7mm ammunition for the machine gun
I0I
In May 1944 the Battalion travelled to Wales for a week, to a range at Ysbyty
Ystwyth ten miles northwest of Tregaron in what is now Dyfed. This was their
first chance to use the howitzers they had been issued with in England. The
aircraft, pilots and observers went too, not only to train in directing artillery fire
but to brush up on the pilots' flying skills and the observers' navigation. The
Battalion returned to Wykham after a week but the aircraft and pilots stayed
longer, to train others in the vital skills of artillery spotting
On their return to Wykham, the build up to D-Day on 6th June was becoming
apparent The unit realised they were not t o take part in the landings themselves
although the vehicles were modestly waterproofed in readiness for an eventual
journey to Normandy On the evening of D-Day the Cubs had black and white
invasion stripes applied. used to identify friendly aircraft Some of the men.
however, contented themselves with visiting the Bradshaws, helping with their
haymaking and partaking of Mrs Bradshaw's home baked tarts and cold roast
pork
In early July, the Battalion carried out their final training on the Larkhill ranges
near Salisbury, Wiltshire These were firing tests under simulated combat
conditions. They returned briefly to Wykham but on 25th July departed for
Weymouth, bound eventually for France I t is likely the aircraft were flown to
Normandy from the Weymouth area, after being fitted with long range fuel tanks
Following the breakout in Normandy, the 696th went to Rennes, across Brittany
and to Lorient As well as their main role, the Cubs flew secunty on the flanks of
the armoured columns to warn of any threats fiom nearby German troops
The aeroplanes
It has not been determined with which mark of Piper Cub the 696th were
equipped whilst they were at Wykham Most units operating Cubs at that time
flew the Piper Cub L 4H.All aircraft of the lightplane class were known by the
name "grasshoppers" in view of their ability to operate from almost any suitable
space.
Details of the Piper Cub L 4 H are
Wingspan:
Lenyth
Height
Wing area'
Gross weight.
Empty weight
Power.
Max speed
Cruise speed
Stalling speed:
Rate of climb.
Ceiling.
35 ft 2 ins
22 H 3 ins
6 ft 8 ins
179 sq A.
1220 Ibs.
708 Ibs.
Continental 0- 170-3 dcveloping 65 hp at 2300 rpm
85 mph
75 mph.
39 mph.
300 ft/min.
9300 A
I92
In layout the Cub was a high-wing monoplane with two seats in tandem. The
radio was mounted on the observer's table With full tanks and two crew the
weight sometimes exceeded the maximum for take-off, On occasions the pilot
had both to fly the aircraft and direct the artillery fire, the observer having had to
leave the plane to enable it to take off from some muddy field. Elmer Hunter, an
observer with the 696th recalls having to do just that!
The aircraft were painted in a basic colour of "olive drab" with neutral grey
undersurfaces and carried the usual five-pointed star insignia of white on a blue
disc with a horizontal white bar Invasion stripes were applied immediately prior
to D-Day to upper and lower wing surfaces and around the hselage. However.
units in Normandy soon began removing these as, with airstrips close to the
front. effective camouflage was considered more vital than recognition by
friendly forces
Flying at Wykham
Certainly flying in England was totally different to flying in the U S. As well as
wartime hazards such as barrage balloons. the pilots had to cope with unfamiliar
terrain, small fields, a plethora of railway lines leading to similar looking towns
and rapidly changing weather conditions The ability of the grasshoppers to land
almost anywhere was used to the hll with pilots landing near roads and towns to
verify their whereabouts before continuing on their way.
Elmer Hunter states that they did little actual training with the aircraft whilst
the unit was at Wykham, other than the visits to the ranges mentioned earlier
Practice cross country navigation for observers like himself was carried out along
with liaison flights between the various units of the Group
Pilots known to have flown with the 696th at Wykham were Lt Ate0
Ciabattoni, who left the unit whilst they were at Wykham. Lt. John E. Hall and
Lt Vincent Lynch.
Because of the relative low power of the engine, take off was normally carried
out down the slope, i e heading south The sight of a Piper Cub suddenly
appearing low over a hedge after take off certainly surprised Peter Dunham, an
evacuee to Banbury. who was cycling along Wykham Lane in mid 1944, having
no idea there was an airstrip in so confined a space
The Austers
Piper Cubs were flying from the field at the top of Wykham Hill in 1944 but
there has yet to be any positive trace of "Taylor Austers" at the site. The
Taylorcrafl Auster was a British light aircraft performing a similar role for the
A O.P. (Air Observation Post) squadrons of the R A.F as the Piper Cub did for
the American Field Artillery units. Various types of Auster served with the
A 0 Ps , mainly the Marks 3. 4 and 5 The Mark 5 was the most numerous and
successhl wartime variant
For the purposes of comparison with the Piper Cub L 4H, details of the Auster
Mark 4 are shown overleaf
103
Wingspan
36 ft
Length
22 ft 5 ins
Height.
8tl
Wing area
167 sq ft
Gross weight . I700 Ibs.
Empty weight 1 100 Ibs.
Power.
Lycoming 0-290-3 developing 130 hp
Max speed. 130 mph
Cruise speed: 110 mph
Stalling speed 30 mph.
Rate ofclimb. 800 ft per min
Beside being more powerful than the Cub. the major difference between the
two was that the Auster Mark 4 seated three people, all earlier models being two
seaters. The Auster Mark 5 was similar to the Mark 4 but was equipped with a
blind-flying panel and did not have a trim vane under the tailplane
Ken Wakefield states that whilst delving into the location of U S airstrips in
the U K he found that aircraft reported as Taylor Austers quite often turned out
to be Piper Cubs and vice-versa. In appearance the two are similar
Peter Wright advises that he could find no trace of any British unit at the
location, or of the use of Taylorcraft Auster aircrafl at the site "To most people
all light observation machines were Austers so this could be the explanation of
the use of such a title "
Histories of the British A 0 . P Squadrons do not mention Wykham Hill or
Banbury, and it therefore seems unlikely that such a unit was engaged in flying
from the site The confusion seems to have arisen as a result of the physical
similarities between the two aircraft
Two correspondents report seeing Westland Lysanders in the field It is
unlikely that the Lysander could be mistaken for either an Auster or a Cub.
although it is similar to the American Curtiss 0 5 2 Owl, which was designed
originally to perform a similar "spotting" role No further detail confirming the
presence, or purpose, of these aircraft at the site has come to light.
The memories
Researching the history of flight from the "Top of Wykham Hill" has resulted
in many people sharing their memories of that period Some relate to what was
happening at the site. others were broader in outlook A few names have been
mentioned already, but many do not easily fit into the earlier sections. Their
memories are now given in quotation marks below, with explanations following
where applicable.
"7he westcrtr hoiitrdaty w m otdy ( I hrt of a hedgc or a batik, rrrritrrtr~rrorth
toward where the tree I S riow. We farmed the lurid heyorid arid kmw there were
arrcrafi irr the field hirt didn't take that much tiotice. 7hert may hme been n
corrplr of tetr1.s or hrris it1 the ,field hiit trot mirch e l . ~". [Conversations with Ken
Gibbard, farmer and current landowner of the site. I 1 Feb 93 and 7 Aug 93 ]
I94
"Wc came acro.v.s the c-oticrctc bases of the Nissett hiits wheri we hrrilt a t i t w
purl of the .\chool. Att Amcricati kji uti cxtract from '(hcktiev' with iis. He
tirrtied irp a coirple of yecirs ago sayittg he was slaliotied here diiritig the wur
utid coirld he huve U kwk mwiitid" [Conversation with Lt Col L D Wood.
bursar of Tudor Hall school, I I Feb 93 The American to whom he refers is
Elmer Hunter who flew as an observer with the 696th ]
"7he w i t d vatie thcit they ir.\ed w a s ret~iovrdto the side wall of otie ($the
hoirws ut Wykhani Mill I.arm. It's .\rrppo.\ed 10.s~illhe thew. " [Conversation with
Eric Kaye. author. 1 I Feb. 93 In addition to confirming much of the detail then
known about the site and later providing the address in the U S A. of Elmer
Hunter, Eric gave this unusual piece of information. Despite contacting Alick
MacNair, who lived at the farmhouse from 1967 to 1988, and the current owners
of the property, Jaguar Sport Ltd , the existence and present state of any wind
vane remains uncertain During a visit to Ken Gibbard on 7 August 93, he
remembered there being a normal windsock in the field
"I w m huwd 01 b h o t i e diirittg that period of thc ncir. I rcimemher the
Amrricutis UI the j ~ d utid
d (it Wvkham I'urk. 7herr was a ,fiw-har gute iti the
h d g e by the Hloxhum Htwd, this was the maiti etitruticc itito the jield. It wus
girarded hv uti Aniericuti setitrv it1 LI small teiit. I recull two (.'irh.s. ojieti parked
iti the cortter by the cro.s.srom.A. 7 k r e were .wme letits tti the opposite cortter.
7hcr.e m y huw hreti a ctirved corrirguted titt ~ p hanger.
e
I'm ttot wrtaitt. ?hey
hud black utid whttr itiviisioti stripes puitited oti die uircrujt.
"?he Amerrcutis ofreti thtrmhed hjis itilo towti. I irsed t o pick them rip.
.\ometirne.s iti rxchatigr ,for petrol of which they .seemed to hme a pletit!firl
siipp!v. It wa.~
probably ititrttdcd .for thc '/7latrc.s." [Conversation with John
Woollams, ex R A F . 12 Feb 93 The existence of the invasion stripes would
date this as being in June 1944 ]
"Oirr t~trqiririesr w e d thut I JS Army 7irylorcrqji A irstrrs traitiitig urtillery
.spotler.s irsed the strip UI Wvkham Hill drrritig 1944" [Letter from Alan Barker.
Wellesbourne Aviation Group, I Feb 93 This confirms the use of the site by
American forces, again the Piper Cub is mistakenly identified as a Taylorcraft
Auster.]
"7hi.sIS tiot a )>hotre iti. I h a d . !f yoir 're lr.shmtigs I'ni ttiirtiduted with call.s
coilfrrmitig Airstrrs ,flew ,from the . ~ sirpportitrg
e
the Royul Artillery. " [ Sarah
Kennedy, BBC Radio Two. 22 Jan 93 Sarah read out a request for help at 5 57
a rn and gave the above reply immediately after the 6 00 a m. news that day ]
" 7 b the hevt of my kttowlidge the 1 J..Y Army nvrc i t i tetited accomrncHl'nliott itt
the ,fdd 7hr uircruji they n t w ,flyitig w u e P i p r ('ribs tiot Aiistrrs. 7hi.s wu,s
dirritig the .wninicr of 1942. l h ~ ynvre jlyitig P t p r ('irh.\ us truitiitig j i ) r
195
observation purposes." [Letter from Bob Bowley, 1460 Club, 16 Feb 93 The
tents to which he refers may be the same ones as mentioned by John Woollams.
The date appears inaccurate by two years Although US liaison aircraft arrived in
Britain in September 1942, the HQ of the First U S Army did not amve, in
Bristol, until October 1943 The build-up of a definite presence of U.S. A F As
took place in early 1944 ]
"I remember (Jiihs. not Aiisters. at the site during the war. There were not
many. only N f w . I a1.w remember tanks i n a copse on the c~ppositeside of the
road" [Conversation with Jim Wright. 20 Feb 93. The tanks were presumably
the M7 'Priests' in the grounds of Wykham Park ]
"I s a w these aircrafi' oti the pviitid at Wykham. ]here were iisually four or
j h e c?f them. painted dark green as you might expect. They were I1.S. Army
aircrafr. When not i n use they were parked down toward the corner hy the
crossroads next to the road that 1ead.v to HroriKhtoti. c#cn pegged to thc ground
no doubt a s a precaulion against the wind I ol.w recall a nutiiher of tents beinx
pitched there. When they were in iise they Jew ve'y low. ,liist above the
hedgerows. We him them u.s 7aylorcraft spotter aircraft. American troops were
stationed at Wykham Park, Adderbury and Hloxham. " [Letter from F Baughen,
7 Feb 93 More supporting evidence for the presence of US troops in the area
Again Adderbury is mentioned, but no confirmation of another airstrip in that
area ]
"A small unit o f the IJ.S. Army was based i n a large field at the top of
Wykham Hill. 11 consisted of six Ptper (,'i)h aircraft and various tents. It i s
thoirght it was there to act as a communication .facrlify prior to the Normandy
invasion. " [Letter from Doug Todd, 10 Jan 93 and conversation with him I2
Feb. 93 Although the 696th only had two aircraft. the 5th F.A Group controlled
eleven, so it is possible that six were present at the site on occasions Some of the
Divisional HQ aircraft would certainly have been used for communication
purposes.]
"l~emember.seeing lank.%around the (keen i n Adderbuty i n m i d 1944. Also
Piper ('rrhs gliding low over the Bloxham road. I' [Conversation with Mr Clifton,
10 June 93. The tanks could have been more units of U S artillery battalions ]
''[ J.S. personnel were accommodated in the building- now known as 7iidor Hall
vchrwl. The light spotter aircraft were operated from a clear field with a n
iitrobst~ictedapj)roach.' I [Letter from T. Keegan, 22 March 93 ]
"I must have been aboiit eleven years of age' when the Americans werc ba.sed
at Wykham. I remember the aircraft being lined iip i n the ,field parallel to the
hedgerow following the A36 I. tied down when not i n use. 7hey were very light
'planes compared with the ,fighters and bombers located at aerculromes
I96
in
the
vicitiip. As yorrtig lads we rrsed r o visit rhe Wykham crossrouds worryirig the
pilots t o tuke 11s ,fbr a ride, obvioidy withoirt .~ircces.s."[Letter from Graham
Hobday, I 1 May 93, living in Broughton at that time 1
"'lheairstrip was at thc. top of Wykham Hill. As a,fifiern ytwr oldsq d i t i g to
work a t Hurrhirry ('o-o)p9I remember I I well. I catrtior recaN wheti the Piper ('ribs
m w e c l , hiit they It$ oti the morttitig ofl)-l)ay,6th ./titre 1944. lri the mortiirrg of
the 5th. troops were puttitiiix black titid while srripes riii die tiircrufl. I notrdered
What they were doiril;'.''[Conversation with C Wise. 26 July 93 He feels it is
likely that he may have mistaken one of the 6 9 6 t h ' ~visits to the ranges with their
eventual departure from Wykham. However he is certain that they left the area
permanently shortly after D-Day. which fits in with their known departure date of
25th July 3
'2 British IIIIII wus ui Wvkhum b+re we were stalrotied there, urid ciri
Amcric-at1otie ufier IW kji. I dotibt whsthrr the Arnericcui irrtit n,oiild haw heerr
urttllety with uircrcrfr u s mosr of them hud alreudv gorre to krirtrce. " [Letters
from Elmer Hunter, observer with the 696th. 26 Feb 93 and 22 March 93 1
"'lhey tr.\ed t o spend U lot of thrir ,jive time wtrh IS. 7hiy hrorrght ,fi,td w l h
rhrm. titis of upricot luni which were de1iwoii.s. 0 1 1 his retrrrtr t o America. .lee
Hurhottrrt!s wIfe had a buby which they rnrmd S~r.s~:trri,ufter me." [Letter from
Susan Hinde. 17 March 93 Susan is the daughter o f t h e Bradshaw family who
lived at Wykham Mill Farm and farmed the site in 1944 1
"1)iiriiig {hc war I lived nt Hloxharn. I remeniber switig o 1.y.wiider nt the .SIIL>
as well a.\ ('ribs.'' [Conversation with Peter Nicholls, 19 July 93. Another
reference to Lysanders using the field Ken Gibbard also believes a Lysander used
the airstrip at some point ]
Finally, three memories which serve as lessons to all those sons who do not
believe their father's tales
"I'~~cip1e
dott'r heliew me whew I tcll them there n u \ (itr ciiifielJ (it the trip of
Wykhom Hill!" [Conversation with C Wise, 26/7/93 ]
"We oldies arc> irot ulwur:s \vrotrg mid yorir ,father 1.5 qtrtte cor'recst it1 .sqwrg
rhul the field it1 the corrrer wus i r . d us air urrslrip dtrritig the lust wir. " [I.etter
from Ken Gibbard, 4 Jan 93 ]
"Yoirr juther hus air ucirte niemon iti id. i f he . s q ~ . she wutched Ar~wr.s~
thm
Air s1er.s thtty wt~t-1~.Whert W P w ' c w vcitiril;' yotir jrilic~rf ?firri wsited rc.lntioti.\ irt
Hloxhum oti Sirridny qflrrtiootts, trttd it c*oiild huvc hecw riti .some of 11ie.w
occu.siorr.s /hut he netit t o Wykhuni Hill." [Letter from Ron Brooks. a
contemporary of father's, I5 Feb 93 ]
107
Conclusion
Have I proved that I did occasionally listen to my father?
Certainly Piper Cubs flew from the site at the "'l'op of Wykham Hill" during
1944 Units o f various US Field Artillery Battalions were based in and around
Banbury from 1943 to 1944 so aircraH could have been tlown from the site by
units other than the 696th
There are two people who claim to have seen a Westland 1.ysander at the site.
so perhaps other aircraft used it at some time
Taylor Austers and Piper Cubs were similar in appearance and many people
confused the two types
YES! Not only have I proved that I did listen to my father but that, in this
instance. his tale is basically true'
Bibliography and Sources
The majonty o f the information that follows has been obtained from the
various people listed in the "Acknowledgements" I am, however, indebted to the
following sources
A1tc.r 'lhe thrll/c.. issue 73 - "U S Army Airstrips in Britain I042 - 1945". by Ken
Wakefield
.-1ircrc!flof the I h p l Air lci)rce . w t c ~ c1918.
~
by Owen Thettord, Putnam, Conway
Maritime Press Ltd . 1988
( iikc mid ( 'ockhor.se (Banbury Historical Society), I I .4 (Autumn I989),
'Wykham Parh - From the early 19th century to the present day'. by Nanette
Godfrey and Charmian Snowden, pp 82-83
( 'ocktiry - 7hc Vary of thr W6rh Arnioiirtd I*irldArtillrty Hu~~trlioti
i t i World
Wur /I, by Kohert W McCormick, Cottonwood Publications
.ltrtic~5 W o i h / Arntotird I ~ I ~ h t i t1t'cliiclcs.
~
by C F Foss. Macdonald and Jane's
Publishers Ltd , 1976
Ihr kightitig ~~rmshoppcr.j
- (1.S I.icu.~otiA i r c ~ f 0pcrurioti.j
l
it1 I:'iiropr 19-42 194.5, by Ken Wakefield, Midland Counties Publications, I990
I Jttiirnic~tl
Itito HNIIIL~
- /he Xtot;\, (11thc Air O h w n u i i i o t i I'ost. by Ma.jor General
H J Parham and fi M G Helfield, Picton f'ublishing (Chippenham) Ltd . 1086
.
I ox
Acknowledgments
During my rcscarch into this site. I habc bccn imprcsscd b? thc uillingncss of total
strangcrs to sharc u i t h mc their reminisccnccs and ho\vlcdge of W\kham Hill. the
Banbury arm. (lying and wartime cspcncnccs Many timcs I found mysclf talking and
witing about things totally unconnected \\ith Taylor Austcrs or Wykham 14111. yct \\hich I
found so intcrcsting that it \\as difficult to kecp "on trach" Thc peoplc 1 visitcd habc
wclcomcd mc into thcir homes and cnablcd mc to dc\clop a "fccl"for \\hat \\as happcning
in thc arca during WWII. To all thcsc pcoplc I cuprcss r
n! thanks. although 1 Icavc i t to
thcir sons to prow thc truth behind the talcs somc of thcm told me'
I \\ould lihc to single out for spccific thanhs t h r people
~
Kcn Gibbard for his in\aluablc assistance with thc layout of thc liclds in 1044 and for
alloning mc to valh around and ovcr his ploughcd ficld to visualisc the geograph!..
Eric Kayc for tracing thc addrcss of Elmcr Huntcr in thc U S. and for pro\iding
background on a\ iation in the area dunng thc \\ar.
Kcn Wakcficld in addition to prosiding thc histo? of U S liaison aircraft and thcir
activit!.. for taking time to talk to mc at Old Sarum's .4 0 P fl!w and allo\cing mc thc
opportunip to photograph his Pipcr Cub L 4H G-BKHG. in thc marhings of 44-70706
D63 of thc HQ Ninth U S. Arm!.
In addition. I o\\e thanks to ccrtain members of my famil) n h o kne\r I \\as researching
this piecc of histop T h e managcd to kccp i t from m! father and almost successfully
prevcntcd him from rcading about it on thc threc timcs it \\as mcntioncd in the local
neuspapcr On the onl? occasion that he did sec it. hc is alleged to ha\c jumped up and
down sa?ing "Just uait until I spcak to David. hc ncvcr bclicvcd mc and hcrc i t is. somconc
clsc rcmcmbcrs 111" Thc famil! ha\c ccrtainl! cnhanccd thcir reputation as a dc\ ious lot
I nould lihc also to acknoulcdgc thc help of all the people. listed bclo\\. who assisted in
man! \\a\s. grcat and small. \iith information on fl?ing from thc top of W y h h m Hill
Alan Barker. F Baughcn. Robcrt Botclq. Ron Brooks. Mauricc B r o m . Ste\c Challis.
Charlic Chcstcr. Mr Clifton. Ham Colcgravc. Pctcr W Davis. Pctcr Dunham. Mark
Evans. DCMIS Fostcr, Pats? dc Frcitas (Banbun Libra?). Jcrcm? Gibson (Banbur?,
Historical Socict?). FIt Lt A J M Gnat, David Harpcr. Susan Hindc. Graham Hobday.
Elmcr Huntcr. Yvonnc Huntriss (Blouham Muscum). T Kccgan. Chnstine Kclly (and
Banbuo Muscum). Sarah Kcnncdy. John La\rlon. Alick Macnair. Robcrt W McCormick.
Fiona Millcr (and Jaguar Sport Ltd.). John V Nicholls. Pctcr Nicholls. Ron Scttcr. Jamcs
Ta! lor (lmpcrial War Muscum). b u g Todd. Dcbbic Twcdic (and the Ronhicrjj ( k m h o n
tcam Nicola Bell. Gordon Rayncr and Mark Wiltshirc). Janc Willmott (and thc Hloxhom
Hmod\lwct). (' Wisc. L D Wood. John Woollams. Jini Wright. Pctcr F G Wright
Finall?. m! thanhs to my \rift. Janicc. n h o has put up nith mc disappearing to visit
pcoplc. running up thc telephonc bill and clogging up the uord-processor nith Icttcrs and
rccords o\cr lhc last t\\cl\c months
TOSTY TELL ME TRUE....
Christine Bloxham
In spring thoughts have, from time immemorial, turned to love, and this is
reflected in country folklore The rhyme above was quoted by Mollie Harris in A
Kirtd ( ? f M ~ ~ gshe
i c , and her friends would make balls of cowslips and toss them
in the air, chanting the rhyme, and adding at the end the names of all the young
men they knew. perhaps accidentally-on-purpose ensuring that the ball fell at the
right name1
Girls often speculated about their hture loves, in the way that girls of today
play with their Barbie bride dolls, dreaming of their own weddings Rhymes for
counting cherry and plum stones such as
Titrker, tailor. soldier, sailor,
Rich mun. poor man. heggurmatr. thiLlf'
are familiar, but most local variations have now disappeared One quoted by Iona
and Peter Opie in the Oxfiwd Niir.sety Rhyme Book (1970) has local relevance.
Soldier brave, .wrlor ~ n i e .
Skilled physicratt. Oxfiwd hliie.
harried lmyer. squrrc so hule,
Dashing airman. ('rirule pule.
Everyday events became entwined with superstitions about love so if you cut
your nails or sneezed on a Sunday it was said that you would see your true love
on the Monday If your ears burned, someone was thinking about you
Right yoiir morher,
I.<fl yoitr lover.
Cheek burning too was considered significant:
Right cheek, It$ cheek, why do yorr h i m 2
('1rrsc.d he she that doth me harm;
If 11 he (I muid. Iei she he .slo.L.J.
If .\he he ( I wfi. 1e1her 1o.w her I&.
Arid ifshe he a widow, k ~ t glet her niorrrrt.
Htii ! f i r he ny o w ) rrrie
~
love, htrrtt, cheek, hirrrr.
200
Although perhaps too young for Valentines cards, children enjoyed St
Valentine's day They would often wander round in small groups and would
chant rhymes to all they met in the hopes of getting some money. The Bodicote
children chanted,
731e rose i s red? the violets blue
Carnaliods sweet und so he you
So plaze to give i i s a Wolentine.
At that they would be suitably gratehl if granted their request, but if it was
rehsed and they were sent away empty handed they would shout after the
offending person'
l h e rose
is
red. the violet's blue
The devil's black atid s o he yoii'
As the girls got older their thoughts might turn to divinations These,
surprisingly, sometimes seemed to work - perhaps because people tended to live
in smaller more closely knit communities, and the chances were that girls would
know the range of boys from which they would choose potential husbands from
quite an early age. In those circumstances, if a girl let it be known that she was
trying out a divination there might be a little connivance
This explanation does not apply to all stories however, and for some there is
no ready explanation. as the time in the mid-nineteenth century when three girls
from North Leigh decided to try out the sinister Hempseed divination. As with
most divinations, it was hedged around with ritual designed to get the participant
into the right responsive frame of mood to experience supernatural happenings
The girls had first to obtain some hempseed, in itself a mystical substance Next
they had to go to the churchyard at midnight - walking by flickering lantern-light
along dark unlit country lanes, in itself a potentially frightening experience Once
in the churchyard. surrbunded by lowering gravestones, each girl in turn had to
walk three times (a ritual number) round the churchyard, throwing the hempseed
over her shoulder while chanting.
I sow hempseed.
Hempseed I sow.
He that i s t o he my hiishami.
( b m r afrer me arid mow,
Not in his best or Siiriday array,
Hut iri the clothes he wears every Jay.
As she walked round, being carehl not to bump into gravestones, and
presumably fearing seeing ghosts, the hempseed was supposed to grow magically
up behind her, and if she peered over her shoulder she would see the wraith of
her hture husband walking behind her, mowing the hemp with a sickle The first
20 I
girl was desperately disappointed, as she saw nothing - and subsequently died a
spinster in her eighties. The second girl suddenly collapsed into hysterics in the
middle of her walk around the churchyard. and cried convulsively, rehsing to be
consoled. When she had been calmed down she gasped out that she had seen her
coffin - and she apparently died the next year. Not surprisingly the third girl
decided not to risk trying, and the divination has been banned in North Leigh
ever since
Not all stories have such alarming endings, fortunately Another divination
from North Leigh was much more lighthearted. this one was done with a
wedding cake. The girl took two pieces of wedding cake, one sugary to represent
the bride and the other fruity for the groom - echoing the days when two
wedding cakes were made, a light one with sugar icing called the bride cake and
a rich fruit cake called the groom cake She put these pieces under her pillow,
then had to get into bed backwards, reciting.
I put this cake irtider my heud.
7 h dream ofrhe Irving. NOI ($,he dead.
To dream c$ the man I shall wed,
Not in his hest or Siitidq a r r q
Birt in the clothes that he wears every h y .
M e r that, whatever happened, she had to remain silent until she went to sleep,
or the charm would not work
Love is just as much a preoccupation as ever today. but apart from cherry
stone rhymes few of the old superstitions and divinations remain, except perhaps
some of the old skipping rhymes, still sometimes found in the playground
Rlackherry. strawberry, poseberry tart,
Tell me the nume of my sweetheart.
A , R . C , D....
Christinc Bloham was formerly Curator of Banbuc Muscum and Hon Sccrcta? of thc
Banbury Histoncal Society. Shc IS wcll known for hcr \\~itingon folklorc and broadcasts
on Radio Osford. as wcll as appcanng rcgularl> on the lccturc programmcs of this and
othcr local socictics.
202
Lecture Reports
Brian Little
Thursday 9th September 1993.
Country Houses round Honhury.
Thc big housc like thc big count5 continues to fascinate Furthcr cvidcncc \\as
dcmonstratcd by thc SILC of thc audicncc
In csscncc Robert Bailey's talk was a guidc to how to get thc most out of your Iisit. It
focuscd on propcrtics not too far from Banbury and cspccially in Northamptonshire Thcsc
wcrc sccn as thc sum of their architcctural delights from which includcd such notablc
charactcnstics as thc vaulted corndors of Broughton Castle and the long gallcry at S t a n ~ a y
Housc.
Each part of his analysis was a camco of the bcst imagcs prcscntcd by each housc in its
constitucnt parts Thc overall conclusion from this was that the bcst buildings are in
privatc owncrship Agc of construction. dcsigncr inputs. cxtcmal vistas and-okcrall-scttings
all contrivc to makc such country house-going a worthwhilc lcisurc pursuit
Thc frcshncss and vigour of Robcrt Bade's prcscntation gavc addcd spicc to his topic.
Hc rcall? rcjoiccd in the Palladian st>Ic at Stoke Park and thc statuary of Rousham His
audicncc was cncowaged to do so too. Doubtlcss the 1904 season will sec cagcr faccs
turning up at his sclected vcnucs.
Thursday 14th October 1993.
Hrituin 's Cunol Heritage.
An cvcning spcnt in the company of Roger Butler (of Britain's Inland Watemays)
proved bc?ond doubt that Britains's canal hcntagc is i n d d incrcdibly rich and divcrsc
Thc notion of 'up thc cut' just does not do justicc to a 'penphcnquc' of warchouscs. cottages
and canal cphcmcra uhich afford thc historian both local intcrcst and rcgional distinction.
Thc bonus on this occasion was the supcrb photography by the speaker. Cross shots.
long prolilcs. reflections, seasonal dclights - all wcrc thcrc in profusion. Thoughts on canal
a holiday for summer '94 must haic cntcrcd the minds of many of his audicncc.
Much of the carl? part of Roger's prcscntation was to do wth historic scttings - a host of
rcasons for canal conservation. Thc latcr stages took up thc theme of rcgcncration and
comprchcnsn c planning cspcciall! whcrc the canals passcd through urban arcas
Nottingham Cit! Challcngc was a casc in point.
Banbun's oun Oxford Canal was not ncglectcd but was shown to bc crying out for a
succcssful conclusion to thc Raglan/Chcmcll plan. Likc so many othcr arcas its \ision \\as
bciiig dctermincd in a corridor cffcct
A feu shots of Vcnicc in the concluding scction reminded us all of the g a c c and charm
of that \ \ a m oncntatcd city It also conlirmcd our understanding of the nccd to takc a frcsh
look at Britain's own hcritagc. for long neglectcd but nou prcsentcd in nc14 formats for the
agc of lcisurc rather than an cra of commcrcc
203
Thursday 1 I t h November 1993.
Regionul Variations in IXstrihution of Christian Numes in 18.51, including the
registatration district of Banbury
If you were around at the time of the 1851 census then !ou were most likely to have
becn a John or a Mark. Gcorge and Jane wcre also popular. More exotic and unusual
namcs were around at this time - thcrc were a sprinkling of Calebs, Urbans. Decimas and
Si lcnccsI
All this fascinating information was drawn from the study of a limited local area roughly Homton to Hook Norton Dr. Tom Arkell's objective was to establish regional
variations in the use of namcs Were there any differcnccs as between locals and outsiders?
Significantly Henry and Joseph proved to be good imports into thc region
Clearl!. names ~vascdand waned In I XS I William's were up but Jamcs' do\vn nhilst
H e w \\as vcry popular in Oxford.
Satisfactory conclusions w r c not easy to establish claimed the speaker It was n u s s a r y
to imokc cultural inlluenccs - the inheritance of names. and to look for exccptions
provided by local cells of families Beyond that it is a case of uncharted waters and perhaps
a belief that a pecp into the first reliable census is fun anya!.
Thursday 9th December 1993.
Through a glass darkiv.
Through a glass darkly was a lighlhearted and informative review of the creators.
designs and rnatcnals in\olved in stained windows. Most cxamples down the agcs were
drawn from churches but there were few more b i m m offerings from other sources
Mr F.S. London traced the origins of this art form to earl> centres of exccllcncc such as
the Nile Hc showed that thc glass itsclf could bc produccd in a number of nays and
specific schools of glaliers. notably Southwark, emerged with time
Stained glass. cven as carly as the 4th Ccntury, was secn to have two functions. to kccp
out the weather and oKer an attractive presentation As such the early windows were often
a visual aid for priest stories
If decoration and illustration were the key functions of glass then these oncn manifested
themselves as portra\als of doom or presentations of likenesses
The actual features incorporated went with the time. Thcrc uas a nch vaneh of patterns
and colours and many attempts to kecp faith with conventions, for instance kings worc
crouns. From the fourtecnth Centur) there were even great walls of glass Perspective
gathered strength from the sixteenth Century and the 1900's saw a reversion to Gothic
styles and thc emergence of the arts and crafts movement
Appropriatel? Mr. London endcd his talk m the present century He confessed to bcing
bemused by abstracts but got a lot of pleasure out of H q Clarli's b r d n g figures.
Signature and symbolism might proclaim the artist but context. colour and clarity were
thcmes he could commcnt to his modest attentive audicnec
Thursday 13th January 1994.
Society in Eurlv fictoriun Southern Northumptonshire.
Those expecting Dr John Clarke to be spcahing about (Hlgh) Soclet>.w t h a capital 'S'
\\ere in for a surpnse, for his theme vas entirely on what ollicial and other contemporary
ittntings revealed about the other end of the spectrum. In a season of excellent lectures his
\\as outstanding We hope to publish it in due course.
204
Thursday 10th February 1994.
Nineteenth Cenfury Education in Oxfordshire
Going to school in thc last century was a 'back to basics' story for many young pcoplc
Wcll taught 3 R s meant moncy for school but a narrow focus for its pup~ls.Groupcd round
the tortoisc stove or shivcnng i n the back row. children were rcquircd to please tcachcr.
inspcctor and somctimcs clcric. No surprisc thcrcforc that onc school log book had thc
cn@ "kidnapped by the curate"
Attcndancc could be elusive for othcr reasons as well Notably thcrc were claims of
work and the attractions of thc occasional fair. Harvcst cspcciallv was thc signal for
summer holidays
David Eddershaw's talk was a well organiscd and cntcrtaining insight into nineteenth
ccntury organisation: control and rcform Thc background was both rcligious and political.
rcflcctcd in the style of building and in the cducational message For thc fortunatc this
message was conveyed from the teacher to bright pupil and on down the convqcr bclt
Thc vanous stagcs of rcform contnbutcd somcthing to cducational bcttcrmcnt but I870
had come and gone bcforc a new gcncration of Board schools could levy rate support It
was a wholc sistccn years on to any kind of compulsory lcarnmg and thcn only to age 10
In the closing stagcs of David Eddershaw's talk mcmbcrs were givcn glimpses of lifc in
several Oxfordshire schools. Fundamentally the framc was the same - hard benches. simplc
boards with individual slatcs and rotc learning which rangcd through basic tablcs. kings
and quccns, capes and bays. In his final comparison of pnma? groups dividcd by a ccntury
of Icarning, we wcrc left to rcflcct on how much mwc had changcd than just thc transition
from sniock to tcc shin
Thursday 10th March 1994.
The Ascott Martyrs.
Hcrc was a stirnng talc from dcep in Cotswold countq, told with gusto by thc
Reverend Ralph Mann It surroundcd thc doings of a band of womcn who championed
the cause of the apcultural workcrs Their low pay at a time of relative prosperity in the
1x70's and 1880's was an obvious injustice Nationally thc farm worker of that time could
sccurc somc 14s a day but in Oxfordshire and adjacent county areas the figurc on offer
was morc like I Is or a best 12s.
Locally at Ascott thc fusc was lit by thc owncr of Crown Farm who would not go
b o n d 7s.6d. and tricd to import rcplaccmcnt labour Thcsc mcn of Ramsdcn could not
rcach the fields because Ascott's Martyrs blocked thcir way. This action inspircd a
prosecution from thc f m c r ansing from which thc ten so called nngleadcrs were sent to
Oxford for ten days hard labour. From this point onwards the story is a pattern of Ictters,
parliamcntm comment and finally the roval pardon. Back to Ascott m e thc ladics who
thm cnjo\cd a euphoric pcnod of ncwspapcr naming and reporting Longcr term their
success stood for peaccful picketing but timcs changcd and agriculturc went into decline
with rural populations shnnking
Throughout the unfolding story it is ca? to lose sight of figures likc Joscph Arch who
pioncercd farm workers gctting together w i h unions The labourers' association NARU
may not have done much to support the womcn of Ascott but thesc martyrs bridgod the
transition from prospcnty to decline and secured rights which hopefully would endure until
bcttcr timcs on the land.
205
Correspondence
I+om Mrs .ko.vce Uoacl. 133 Siitidale A \ w i r e . Selsdon, Soiirh CroyJoti (:I<? NICY.
I was gratified to see that the 1958 Constitution with later amendments had
been printed in the latest issue of ( h k e ( ' o c k h o r . ~following my request at the
1993 A G M I was of the opinion that 35 years later few of the original members
still attended, whilst those who had joined in the succeeding years were uncertain
as to the aims or requirements of the Society
However 1 feel I must correct the statement "that no normal notification was
received" for accompanying my subscription in January 1993 was a letter to the
Hon Sec. in which I requested a copy of the Constitution Shortly after J S W G
phoned me to discover the problem, but there was none, and he promised to send
me a copy of the Constitution Subsequent verbal reminders brought hrther
promises during succeeding months At the time of the A G M in July I still had
not received my copy it was only then that I decided that the request needed a
formal minute.
Concerning the other matter of the accounts, I explained to J S W G after the
A G.M that the errors were only discovered when I checked the accounts during
the tedious journey on the M25/M40 Prior to the meeting. although I spoke
briefly to J S W G 1 was more concerned with a dry entry during the torrential
downpour, than errors in the accounts Also I was totally unaware that J S W G
had anything to do with the accounts so I did not mention the errors to him. As I
did not know the Treasurer I was unable to contact him in the short time
available before the meeting. Therefore although there was no time to put
anything in writing it was not my intention to put anyone "on the Spot" There
were three discrepancies, two of amounts exceeding &SO0 Although I requested
a reason I stated that I had complete faith in the Treasurer as 1 felt sure it was a
clerical error but the accounts could not be passed as correct
Whilst on the subject of the A Ci M I appreciate that the outing is always
superb but we must not lose sight of the object of the meeting which is the legal
requirement to hold an A Ci M It may be the only time when members can have a
say in the running of "The Society" especially those who such as myself live 90
miles distant. I make attempts throughout the year to attend other visits and the
occasional lecture but still felt a little on the outside despite Jeremy's best efforts
to enlist me onto the committee
Therefore I did not find it commendable that the main object of the A G M
seems to be to speed the meeting through in record time with complete disregard
for discussion The tone of the meeting is "You haven't any questions have you?"
leaving few prepared to say "Well, Yes I have " Surely it would be possible to
allot 40 minutes into the day's time-table Part of the trouble with the accounts
K v
200
was that very little time had been allotted for the A.G.M reports and accounts
We need more time though I would prefer some short verbal reports from the
Officers which, besides giving an opportunity for discussion, would help
members recognise whom they have to thank for the previous year's hard work
It is at this time that the h t u r e of the Society and its publications could be
discussed.
It was also noted that the Magazine will consist o f two issues this year,
Perhaps the Editor could elaborate on the reasons for this If lack of material or
help is the cause then non-active members might be persuaded that as well as
attending lectures and visits their assistance would be appreciated
At previous A G M 's I requested knowledge of publications in the pipe line
and when they are due The answers are always vague and I would like to see a
statement concerning the aims at a h t u r e date Members who are paying the
extra subscription are entitled to know when the next publication is due although
1 am sure we all appreciate that we are getting excellent value with top quality
publications. Another request of mine was for the number of members to be
issued. to see if our Society was thriving, falling or remaining constant There
must be others who have views on the future of the Society which could be
discussed if the atmosphere was less forbidding After my issues had been aired it
encouraged another member to ask about facilities after meetings and I am sure
that there must have been more unasked queries about the running of the Society
As we never get to hear what is debated in Committee we do not know what
goodies you have in store for us
The Society appears to be putting an unfair workload on a few willing
shoulders - a statement reinforced by J.S W G 's comment that he has only missed
one committee meeting in 35 years Looking through the back issues it would
appear that many others have also served in excess of ten years A thriving
forward-looking society is always in need of new blood Although called Banbury
Historical Society - with an object to foster the study of domestic history,
genealogy, heraldry etc etc. it would be interesting to discover how many
members have ever camed out any research and how many just come along to
hear about Banburyshire and go on walks If the committee could ascertain the
feeling of the general membership then it would be able to discuss in committee
the way forward for the next ten years.
As I was informed by a member that they only come for the tour, if this is the
general feeling then why not just have the tour and call it "The Banbury Society
for walks, talks and tours", let's dispense with the A G.M and cause an excellent
Society to fold through lack of commitment!
Joyce Hoad.
T H E BRINKWORTH PRIZE FUND
The Brinkworth Prize Fund has made a regular appcarance in the Socicty's
accounts since 1986. and there have been sporadic references to it in the Annual
Reports and elsewhere in (irkr X (,'ockhor.w.
As many readers will know. Ted Brinkworth was the Society's inspiration and
its co-founder It was his series of University Extra-Mural lectures in the autumn
of 1957 which created the momentum for the inaqural meetings, it was his
knowledge and scholarship which gave it credibility, and, above all, it was his
friendly and encouraging personality which we hope still personifies our Society
Local history is meant to be fun'
From the start Gwladys Davies was his constant companion, and in due course.
to our joy, his wife as well For many years too she was a hard-working
committee member and latterly Chairman. For over 25 years the name
Brinkworth was synonymous with the Society
On Gwladys' death in 1985, her family generously donated a capital sum to the
Society. the income thereofto be used at will, but as far as possible to encourage
an interest in local history amongst those still at school In its first year, thanks to
David Hitchcox's work in disseminating information, three primary schools
submitted very worthwhile projects and received small grants from income Since
then, despite his and others' unremitting efforts, no interest has been shown
except in 1990, when we were able to grant E250 to Banbury School for a
project on the effect of the new motorway (M40) on the Banbury countryside.
However. thanks to the coincidence of the 350th anniversary of the start of the
Civil War including our own local battle of Edgehill (with museum exhibitions to
match) and an energetic local studies liaison officer in Chenvell District. Paul
McKee, 1992-3 was a bumper year, and we have been able to help four schools
to take pupils to Ranbury Museum, together with two much more substantial
grants to St John's Roman Catholic School, Banbury, and Chipping Norton
School for their Civil War projects. described below
Whilst our local schools have history staff with initiative the name Brinkworth
will. deservedly. be perpetuated
J.S.W.G.
The monies expended from the Brinkworth Prize Fund from March 1993
comprised four grants of E50 each to Banbury School (Centenary Year),
Bletchingdon P.C School, Chipping Norton School and Great Rollright School.
Grants of El 50 each were made as below.
Chipping Norton School - for a major project. nhich i n v o l d thcir fccder prima?
schools. details of nhich w r e scnt to thc B.H S. by Chns Bridgcs. Head of Histo? It
promotcd cross-phase links bctuccn primary and sccondar?, school and 'In ing histoF' at
Sulgravc and Holdcnb!. together with thc \I idcr aspects of thc English Ci\ 11 War
208
- Again thc term 'living hlstop' occurs.
from H i l q Ronlands, in thc matcnal sent to thc B H.S. Thc money tvas used for more
much appreciated school visits. as this letter shows
St. John's Roman Catholic School. Banbury
'jrhnnk you /or ownrding our school rhe Hrinkworrh Prize j h r rhe (:ivrl Wnr Prolect
'I
pmiciilorly rmc*rnher drawing ihe soldier /ram the Seciled Knot Socrcry We wcni
on ( I school irip io Hroicghion (,'a.stle and t o the 'Ibwer ofI.ondon to help i i s with our
pro/eci I ruo1i.v enjoyed oiu do,v 0 1 4 1 oi /he library too
Ke//y Price (aged 10)
'They work miracles at Ranbury Museum' was praise that I overheard five
minutes ago, spoken by a member of the public, in our cramped research room at
Banbury Museum
Banbury Museum and Tourist Information Centre received over 74,000
visitors in 1993 This fantastic figure has been achieved through hard work and a
very successful formula at the very heart of which is education.
We market our unique product to schools proactively, and the Brinkworth
Prize Fund has been invaluable in stimulating interest We offer approximately
five different temporary exhibitions annually, all of which are assessed for their
educational potential and some of which are deliberately taigeted towards the
requirements of the National Curriculum. One such exhibition was Dynamic Toys
which brought together toys, both contemporary and historic, from all over the
world This exhibition was exceptionally successful with the gallery heaving with
children for the duration of its time in Banbury.
We encourage teachers to bring their classes to the museum by offering
twilight sessions These are special late night open evenings when teachers can
visit an exhibition and talk to Paul McKee, our Museum Officer who is an
education specialist Later this year we will be launching two boxes of handling
material, on shops and shopping and transport We also offer In Service Training
to improve the ways in which teachers use our objects to educate
Our temporary exhibition programme is both varied and exciting. Last year we
had the Oxfordshire Museums exhibition on the English Civil War, and later this
year we have exhibitions on Privies (a truly lavatorial experience), the USAF at
RAF Uppcr Hcyf'ord, and an exhibition put on by thc Hurihiiry (;riurdicitr of
photoyraphs taken over the last five years. The variety of subject matter appeals
to a wide range of people who come back time and time again Other key
elements in our formula are the permanent exhibition on Banburyshire and our
coffee and bookshop which has a small exhibition area for local artists
I will finsh on the same note that I began We are fortunate in having excellent
staff which are very helpfd and deal with numerous history enquines every day.
Simon Townsend
BANBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
ANNUAL REPORT, 1993
Your Committee have pleasure in submitting the 36th Annual Report and
Statement of Accounts, for the year 1993
Oficers and other committee members were unchanged from 1992
Membership of the Society was 213 (143 records members) at the end of the
year. During the year we welcomed 20 new members (two rejoining), but lost 29
through, death, resignation or non-renewal Attendance at meetings and new
membership benefitted from the publicity efforts of Joan Bowes, who has
arranged for posters (fresh for each meeting) to be displayed in a number of key
places
The three opening meetings of the year, the last to be arranged by Penelope
Renold, were on valuing antiques (Tim Holloway), a return visit from John
Cheney, on the second century of his famous printing firm, and history from
landscapes, as seen by Dr Peter Comah. The village meeting was at Hook
Norton, where the local society put on a display and showed us a videotape of
the Central Television imaginative update of I u w i ~ - / - i ~ rSquure
tr
Miles,
interviewing descendants of several of those who appeared in the original film.
The A.G.M was held at SulbTave Manor and was made considerably more
lively and interesting than usual by Mrs Joyce Hoad, who, apart from spotting
some embarrassing typing errors in the accounts, had several pertinent questions
to ask. In consequence we have since published an updated version of the
Society's Rules (the first since the Society was founded in the late ' S O S ) and
provide figures fur membership (above) Whilst not proposing to publish a list of
members, this can be made available to any member wishing to inspect it. The
formal meeting was followed by an enjoyable and informative tour of the house
conducted by John Coles
There were just two excursions in the summer (arranged by Hugh White) The
first was to the lovely remote Hillesden church and on to Claydon House, the
second to Witney, where Mr Charles Gott showed us what a wealth of
unexpected alleys and buildings this historic market town possesses
Of the autumn meetings (arranged by Dr John Rivers), three were lavishly
illustrated. on very different topics Bruce Bailey on country houses 'round'
Banbury (including a very detailed demonstration of how Broughton Castle
developed), Roger Butler on Britain's canal heritage (with a galaxy of some of
the most beautiful slides ever shown to the Society), and Mr F S London
speaking with authority and humour on stained glass
('uke K. (,'ockhorsr appeared only twice, as the second was a 'double' number
for both Summer and Autumn (at 48 pages h l l y justifying this description) The
new typeset presentation means that significantly more material can be included
per page Contributors included Reg Apletree, Jeremy Gibson, Michael Hoadley,
Pamela Horn, Kobert Kinchin-Smith, Brian Little, Penelope Renold and Bame
Trinder The first issue of(.irkr d- ('ockhor.se edited by David Hitchcox was for
Spring 1984 Now. in Spring 1994, he has indicated his wish to retire, and it is
appropriate to thank him (and his wife Ann, who has done most of the typing) for
these years of work and dedication during which our journal has well maintained
its expected combination of interest. scholarship and entertainment Joan Bowes.
backed by Nan Clifton and, as ever, Jeremy Gibson, has been gathering
contributions. and members can be assured they will continue to be able to enjoy
these in future issues (and three a year)
No records volume appeared during 1993 However, another bumper volume
(in collaboration with the Oxfordshire Record Society) is well advanced and
should be available beforc the A G.M. This consists of a revised edition of the
March 1641/2 Protestation Return for Oxfordshire (mainly north and west. first
published by the 0 R S forty years ago), combined with the May 1642 Subsidy
Lists for Banbury, Bloxham, Ploughley and Bampton Hundreds. Together they
provide a quasi-census of adult males at the time, the subsidy giving the added
dimension of land-holding by non-residents The index alone comes to over a
hundred pages
During the year we were delighted to make grants From the Brinkworth Fund
to various schools in the Chenvell District. our thanks to Paul McKee for his
liaison
The Society's finances remain healthy, though substantial outlay on the records
volume is imminent At the 1993 A G M. rises in subscription rates were agreed,
to €10 for records and corporate members, E7 50 for ordinary members, to take
effect from I st January I995
Banbury Historical Society
Bnnkworth Pnzs Account for the Yeer ended 31st December 1993
Rswnue Account for the Year ended 31sf December 1993
1993
7993
1992
INCOME
S
U
b
~
~
Less Transfer to Pt.dAcabOrm Accounl
1747
585
-
lrrome Tax Refund on Covensnh
Bank Interest
h a b m - General
.re Postage
I182
1189
75
93
510
555
..._.
92
-
1591
402
92
166
255
EXPENDITURE
Granls and prl2es
mc!
-
SURPLUS (DEFIC/T) FOR THE YEAR
Tramfened latrom Bnnkwwlh Pme Fund
Less sales
-
N
N
Lecture. Meebng. Secretanal and
Admimlrabve Expenses
Hall Hwe and Speakers' Expemes
Less Donabom at Meelmgs
Subscripkm to omer Bo&n
Bank Charges
PublicXy
f (334J
f 255
-
-
319
a
1859
Banbury Historical Society
2449
BALANCE SHEETas at 31sf December 1993
EXPENDITURE
Cake 6 Cockhorse
Pnnnng
Postage and envelopes
1992
MCOME
lnlersst recerved
1061
504
165
A 2
749
100
649
1173
90
1083
133
302
(22)
15
92
116
155
(15)
8
68
CAPITAL ACCOUNT
As at 151January 1993
Add Surplvs for me Year
838
PUBLICATIONSRESERVE
As a1 1sl January 1993
Add Surpkn for me Year
Less Deficil for me Year
-
BRINKWORTH PRIZE FUN0
As at 1st January 1993
Add surp(us for me Year
Less Dsficrf for m e Year
40
-
4355
2665
1424
824
4354
3904
-
4089
3304
fw
2664
2049
255
2970
SUBSCRIPTIONSRECENED IN ADVANCE
GRANT FOR FUTURE PUBLICATION
SUNDRY CREDITORS
SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR
Tramfened to Capnal Accounl
3530
5193
3304
-I=
318
750
266
750
70
f 11408
f 13460
-
_
.
Punlrcarrons Account fw the Year ended 3151 Cecemner 1993
REPRESENTEDBY
INCOME
Propwhon of Subscnphom
Sales Of Pubhcsbon
Less Share of Cake 6 Cockhone
565
959
a
402
216
-
ix
-
1424
528
a59
_ep
EXPENDITURE
Records Volume (Edgehdl and Beyond)
SURPLUS (DEFICIT) FOR THE YEAR
Transfened lo/hom PUbLcahomReserve
....._
..
f 1424
-
1768
AI NATWEST BANK - Banbwy
Cunenl Accwnl
BOWKSS Reserve Account
At LEEDS h HOLBECK BlSCTY . Banbury
Chalmn Account
Sundry Debton
BRINKWORTH FUND INVESTMENT
A1 NATWEST BANK. B a w
Capnal ReSeNe Accwnl
At LEEDS h HOLBECK WSCTY - Banbury
Charibes Accwnl
f (1240)
200
201
7900
10376
8101
3
-
3304
ixs
-
f I1408
f 13460
-
__
-
148
-
I have examined me above Balance Shed and me annexed Revenue Accounh and mey
are m accordance wnh me books and inlormanon and explanatam suppled to me
28m Februay 1994
R J Mayne.FCA.FCMA
BANBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Thc Banb- Historical Socicty was founded in 1957 to cncouragc intcrest in thc histon of
the town of Banbury and ncighbounng parts of Oxfordshire. Northamptonshirc and
Wanvickshirc
The magamc Cbke ond Cbckhor.se is issued to mcmbcrs three timcs a ?car This includes
illustratcd articles based on onginal local historical rcsearch. as ucll as recording the
Socict?.'s actn itics Wcll ovcr a hundred issucs and somc thra: hundred articlcs havc bccn
published. Most back issues arc still available and out-of-print ISSUCS can if rcquircd be
photocopied
Publications still in print includc.
OldHonhiro,- o chorr popiilor hisrory. b? E R.C Bnnkworlh
The Bidding and hiirnishing o f ' S ~Moty!v
.
C'httrch.Hanhuy
The (Johe Room or rhr Rivndecr Inn. Honhury
Rccords scrics
Wiggintoti (biisrahle~'Boc,k., i f 9I-i836 (\oi i 1. wilh Phillimorc)
Hanhirv Wi1l.c ondInvenrorie.s l % J I - l 6 5 02. parts (vols 13. 14).
Honhirry ( 'orporotion Records. Tudor ond Srrcor! (vol 15)
l'icrorion Honhriry. by Barric Tnndcr (vol 19, with Phillimorc)
Aynnho. A Norrhompronshire L'rlloge. by Nicholas Cooper (to1 2 0 )
Ranhriry (;no1 Recordv. ed Pcnclopc Rcnold (vol. 2 I ).
Hanhtin Haprism and Htrrinl Registers. IX13-lX3X (vol 22)
Edgehill ond Heyond. 7he l'cwple!s Wnr in rhe Sotrrh Midlonds 1642-164.5.
by Philip T c ~ a n(vol
t
23, with Alan Sutton).
Current pnccs. and availability of other back volumes. from thc Hon Sccrctaly, c/o
Banbun Muscum
In preparation'
Ox-mAhrre orid Norili Berkshire 1'roie.crarion I(erurns 1641-2. also including the
Ma!/June 1642 subsidy for thc Hundreds of Bampton. B a n b q , Blovham and Ploughlq.
in Oufordshirc. and Hormcr in Bcrkshirc. full? indcscd Rc\ision and cspansion of
Oxfordshire Rccord Socicty vol 3 6 ( 1055) - to bc published jointl? \rith thc Ovfordshirc
Rccord Soclet?. 1904.
Sclcstions from thc Ihorie.s (I/ Williom 'otronHisky. Cicor oflkddngron 1x36-1848
/cI
1
I
Thc Socict? is a h a y s intcrcstcd to rccciic suggestions of rccords suitable for publication.
backed b! offcrs of help nilh transcnption. cditing and indexing
Mcctings arc hcld during thc autumn and uintcr. nornially at 7 30 p m on thc sccond
Thursda? of cach month. at the North O\fordshirc Collcgc. Broughton Road. Banbun
Talks arc giicn b\ iniitcd lccturcrs on gcncral and local histoncal. archaeological and
architcclural subjccts E\cursions arc arrangcd in thc spnng and summcr. and thc A G M
1s usually hcld at a local country housc
Membership of thc Society
IS
open to all. no proposcr being nccdcd Thc annual
subscription (for 1994) is €8.00 including an? rccords \olumcs publishcd. or €5.00 if thcsc
arc not rcquired From I905 thcsc ratcs w i l l risc to €10.00 and €7.50 rcspcctncl!
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